


all my thoughts turn to you

by popkin16



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Arranged Marriage, Breeding Kink, Established Relationship, First Time, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, No Beta, Polyamory, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:02:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/popkin16/pseuds/popkin16
Summary: Prompt fills from the Shyan Shipping Society.
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej, Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej/Marielle Scott
Comments: 28
Kudos: 38
Collections: Shyan Shipping Society Daily Prompts





	1. stop playing

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1: a sequel to [bodhirookes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bodhirookes/pseuds/bodhirookes) absolutely amazing fic [Captain Hook](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28277733). You should read that first, both because it's a far better fic, and because this is made better by association.  
> Chapter 2: Sentinel & Guide AU  
> Chapter 3: Shane babysits werewolf!Ryan  
> Chapter 4: Shane discovers Ryan's on Tinder, and his profile says he's into men.  
> Chapter 5: Shane/Ryan/Mari.  
> Chapter 6: Royalty AU. Kinky.

When Andrew’s phone rings, it’s 10pm and Steven’s dozing in his arms, the television the only thing lighting the bedroom. He was teetering on the edge of sleep himself, though the sound of the phone jolts him to awareness instantly. Nobody calls him but his parents; in the age of smartphones, it’s text messages only unless an emergency. This will either be very important, or very dumb.

He moves carefully, patting clumsily at the items on the bedside table without waking Steven. He finally feels the smooth, cool face of his phone and grabs it, swiping to answer the call without looking to see who it is.

“This better be important,” he grumbles into the phone.

“Seven,” Ryan’s voice through the phone was offensively cheerful. There was a relaxed, almost languid quality to his voice that Andrew had never heard before.

“Seven what?”

“I’m pretty sure Shane’s big dick snapped my spine in seven places,” Ryan explains, and Andrew wishes fervently for a moment he’d never left New Jersey for a job at Buzzfeed, even though it’d brought him to the love of his life, currently snoring in his ear. “I’m looking forward to making it fourteen very soon.”

“I hate you,” Andrew says, “I hate you more than I hate brunch.”

“Wow,” Ryan replies, unbothered, still sounding post-coital, “That’s a lot of hate.”

“I’m hanging up,” Andrew feels his eye begin to twitch the longer this conversation went on. He tightens his grip on Steven. “Please feel free to never discuss your sex life with me again.”

“Dude,” Ryan sounds so gleeful, the little shit, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that getting dicked down was this good? I could have been getting fuc-”

Andrew hangs up the phone.

Looks like tomorrow he’ll be ordering that, “Congrats on the sex!” cake he and Steven had been planning, only instead of surprising them with it at home, the entire office was going to get a piece of cake.


	2. late nights, bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Is there a niche in the fandom you want filled? Maybe you don't think there's enough fics of Shane being an angel, or where Ryan switches bodies with Obi. Well you know what they say: when you want something done, you have to do it yourself! Fill that niche with a fic that's less than 1K words!
> 
> Or: the sentinel & guide AU.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't seen a Sentinel & Guide fic for this fandom and that makes me sad, since I come from a fandom that had dozens.
> 
> The concept of Sentinels & Guides came from the old tv show The Sentinel, though of course fandom has created its own twists on the idea. Basically, sentinels are beings with enhanced senses. The better the senses, the "higher level" they're rated as. Guides are people who are able to stabilize a sentinel's senses, and usually have emphatic abilities that require them to "shield" their mind from the feelings of others. Bonding means a sentinel will have someone to help them control their senses, and the guide receives better shielding capabilities. Two can bond even if they aren't highly compatible, but in most fics, sentinels and guides want to find The One.
> 
> Click [here](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Sentinel_AU) if you'd like to know more.

The thing about ghost hunting with your guide, Shane thought through the haze of sleep, was that you couldn’t sleep while your guide was experiencing any kind of terror or anxiety. Shane rolled over so he was facing Ryan, one foot away on the dusty floor, curled up under his sleeping bag. Ryan’s gaze was darting around the room, and every time there was a creak, he winced. A noise so low no normal human could hear it slipped from his lips, and Shane sighed.

“It’s just the house settling, I _promise_ ,” Shane mumbled.

“You say that for everything,” Ryan argued, and a tree branch tapped the window, moved about the wind, sending his heart rate skyrocketing. Shane heard it pounding away in Ryan’s chest and resigned himself to yet another sleepless night.

“I would hear a ghost if there were one,” Shane grumbled. He sat up and began unzipping his sleeping bag, hands steady in the dark.

“They’re pure energy! It’s not like an actual person walking around.”

“Then why do some people report hearing footsteps?”

“You’re unreasonable,” Ryan complained, which was very rich coming from him. When Shane finally got his sleeping bag open, he climbed to his feet. The air was unpleasantly cold against his skin, the smell of rot and old wood thick in the air, and Shane grimaced. He caught the familiar scent of Ryan’s CSG-approved body wash and focused on that instead, relaxing when it overpowered everything else. Ryan’s heart was still pounding in his chest, but Shane knew a fix for that, too.

“Unzip,” Shane ordered, but before Ryan could react, he was kneeling down to do it for him.

“It’s cold,” Ryan complained, “This is hardly professional!” But Shane ignored him, unzipping until Ryan’s sleeping bag was completely undone. Shane reached over to grab his, grateful that they’d spent the extra money for these fancy ones, and started to zip their bags together, creating one big one. Ryan continued to grumble, and Shane listened to his voice, content to hear without taking the words in.

Ryan’s voice, even when he was angry or sad, was Shane’s favorite. Out of all Shane’s enhanced sense, hearing was by far the best, and Ryan’s voice was built of home and comfort. He was, after all, Shane’s true guide, the one created specifically for him, if you believed all the spiritual crap put out by the Center for Sentinels & Guides. Shane had always scoffed at it, but it was difficult not to believe, at least somewhat, when punched in the face by it.

Not literally, of course, for all Ryan joked about murdering Shane. But Shane had walked into the Buzzfeed offices that first day already off-kilter, like his body had recognized something before his brain had, and he’d taken one look at Ryan Bergara and he’d _known_. Ryan had too, if the gobsmacked look on his face had been anything to go by. They’d been inseparable since, with Ryan soothing all the sense spikes Shane was prone to, with Ryan’s empathic abilities safely protected behind the shield of Shane’s mind. Though both were low level - being mere level ones out of six levels - their bond was strong and immutable.

Shane climbed into the giant sleeping bag, pressing close to Ryan’s trembling body. Ryan’s cranky flow of words stopped immediately.

“Your hands are cold,” Shane griped, but let Ryan tuck them under Shane’s sweater to warm. Ryan shuffled close, his cold nose poking into Shane’s neck, their legs tangling together.

“If you wanted to feel me up, you could have just said so,” Shane joked, wrapping his arms around his guide. He rolled so Ryan was just slightly under him, protected from the elements, from any spooky spectres that may come calling. Ryan sighed, his breath warm and tickling Shane’s skin as he relaxed. Shane, with something much more comfortable than the ground to lay on - namely, Ryan - sighed too.

“Shut up, Shane,” he murmured. Already his heartbeat was slowing. Shane let it fill his ears until it was reverberating through Shane’s entire body, filling him up, a steady beat of _Ryan Ryan Ryan_.

“I’ve got you, Ry,” Shane whispered. “Go to sleep.”

It took some time, with Ryan twitching at every sound, but Shane’s presence had him relaxing enough to let the fatigue tugging at Shane to flow through their bond, seep into Ryan, lulling him to sleep. Shane pressed a kiss to the top of his head and let his body go slack.

When morning came, heralded by the blue light of twilight and the chirping of birds, Shane woke to Ryan running his hands through his hair. He was letting it grow out, with Ryan’s encouragement, and the brush of Ryan’s fingers against Shane’s head made him want to purr with pleasure. His entire body ilt up, and Shane made a happy little hum, skin prickling as it always did when Ryan touched him, senses turned up just so to make it that much more.

“Morning, idiot,” Ryan said gently.

“Morning,” Shane greeted, and yawned right in Ryan’s face.

“You’re lucky I don’t have enhanced senses,” Ryan grumbled, pushing Shane’s face away as Shane giggled.

“My enhanced senses mean I’m treated to _your_ morning breath every day,” Shane pointed out. Ryan pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Aren’t you supposed to say that everything about me is perfect?”

“You’ve been reading those Sentinel/Guide romance novels again,” Shane shook his head, long-suffering.

“I can’t help it,” Ryan explained, and he traced the line of Shane’s nose with a finger. The bond between them surged, sweet and warm, and Shane felt the echo of Ryan’s deep, breathless love for him. Shane sent his own boundless love back and watched a flush come over Ryan’s cheeks. “I like seeing our kind of love reflected back at the world.”

Shane rolled his eyes at such a sappy notion, and buried his face in Ryan’s neck, blowing raspberries and making loud “num num num” noises until Ryan was laughing, filling the dawn with his special kind of warmth.


	3. where, wolf? there, boyfriend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: It's Halloween and Shane is put in charge of babysitting his friend's "cousin": a "werewolf" named Ryan who'll turn back at midnight. It's a good thing werewolves don't exist, and that by "wolf", his friend meant "tiny fluffy puppy".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from Young Frankenstein, a fantastic movie starring Gene Wilder.
> 
> Inga: Werewolf!  
> Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Werewolf?  
> Igor: There.  
> Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: What?  
> Igor: There, wolf. There, castle.  
> Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: Why are you talking that way?  
> Igor: I thought you wanted to.  
> Dr. Frederick Frankenstein: No, I don't want to.  
> Igor: Suit yourself. I'm easy.

Mia hadn’t bothered to stick around after dumping the fluffy puppy in Shane’s arms. She left with a wave and a stern admonishment to _behave_ , though Shane wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or the puppy. It was a cute little thing, with floppy ears and dark hair. It stared up at Shane with its big brown eyes, head tilted curiously. Shane returned the stare.

“I’m a cat person,” Shane told it, and he thought maybe the dog was smiling at him. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

It stuck its tongue out at him and panted. Shane took that to be a good sign and set it on the floor. He kept a close eye as it scampered about, sniffing at the overstocked bookshelf and the couch. It nosed at the discarded sweater Shane had left there, and with a tiny yip, bit down on the sleeve and tugged it to the floor. It circled twice before settling in, peering up at Shane with it’s little eyes. Despite himself, Shane was unaccountably charmed.

The little guy was far more chill than Shane expected of a puppy. He’d been expecting nothing but trouble, given Mia’s smirk after he agreed to look after her ‘cousin’, but the day passed with the puppy dozing on Shane’s sweater as he puttered about.

Obi glanced down once to look disdainfully at the puppy. Shane was quick to reassure his beloved boy that the little guy wasn’t a replacement, which soothed Obi enough for him to return to his napping place in the sunlit window. When Shane caught the puppy looking at him, he shrugged.

“It’s not as though you can tell anybody I talk to animals,” Shane told him, and the puppy’s tail thumped against the ground. Shane scratched behind its ears, chuckling at the way it so clearly enjoyed the touch.

“You’re adorable,” He told it, and the puppy rolled over onto its back, exposing its stomach for petting. Shane obliged it, alternating between gentle belly scratches and running his hand through its soft fur.

He made dinner and settled on the couch. With only a tiny bit of guilt, he shared pieces of hamburger from his meal with the little guy, chuckling when it chased his hand, hoping for more. After he was done, he settled the plate on the table in front of the couch. He hesitated for a moment, then carefully lifted the dog up, muttering apologies. He stretched out on the couch with a groan and set the dog down on his thighs. It looked at him for a long, drawn out moment, its eyes uncomfortably intelligent. And then it curled up on Shane’s stomach with a sigh, eyes closing.

Shane pet the puppy absently as he watched several episodes of the Great British Bake Off. Through the windows, unnoticed by Shane, the sun set, until the only thing lighting the room was the television. Feeling warm and comfortable, his eyes began to feel heavy, and the puppy’s breathing eased him into sleep.

Shane’s eyes snapped open when he felt an increased weight on top of him, jerking him out of sleep. He glanced down.

“What the _fuck_?” He cried out, meeting the wide eyes of the guy lying on top of him. The man sat up abruptly, looking sleepy and shocked. His legs were on either side of Shane’s hips, his ass pressed against Shane’s groin, and through the adrenaline and fear, Shane noted the guy was unfairly beautiful, all chiseled jaw and stubbled cheeks.

“Hey -” He started nervously.

“What - how -” Shane sputtered, unsure where to begin. “Who the hell are you?”

“I take it Mia didn’t explain shit,” The main said, and Shane’s brain screeched to a halt at his friend’s name. He gaped. The man shook his head and ran a hand through his curly hair. His arms were fucking built, Shane noticed with a little hysteria.

Why was there a gorgeous man sitting in Shane’s lap at midnight on Halloween?

“My name’s Ryan,” the guy said, smiling weakly. “I’m Mia’s cousin.”

“Her -” Shane stopped. He squinted up at the guy, and in the dim lighting, he noticed the startling resemblance between this guy’s eyes and the puppy that had been sleeping so peacefully on his chest.

“Surprise,” the guy - Ryan - said, grinning. He gave a small wave.

“The - the puppy,” Shane protested weakly, brain spinning its wheels, digging in deep to prevent Shane from accepting the conclusion forming.

“That was me,” Ryan said. “I have a meeting in the city early tomorrow, so I couldn’t stay at my parents place like I usually do. And Mia had a date.”

Mia had talked about her cousin Ryan before. About his love of films, and his belief in ghosties, and how very bisexual he was, with a lot of sidelong looks at Shane. He’d always laughed it off. Blind dates never went well for Shane - he was too shy and awkward to feel entirely comfortable. _Cute, but weird_ was usually the final judgement, which Shane was fine with.

“Why would she choose me to babysit you?” Shane asked, the gears of his brain clicking back into place. “Surely there’s others who already know about your, uh, condition?”

“Lycopanthy,” Ryan explained, “And it’s hereditary, thank you. I think she just wanted to fuck with you, man, since you don’t believe in shit.”

“I believe in facts,” Shane argued, mouth on autopilot. “Concrete, replicable proof without the possibility of photoshop or editing.”

“I literally just turned from a pup to a human man _in your lap_ ,” Ryan shook his head. His mouth was twitching. “How’s that for proof, big guy?”

Shane glanced around. The puppy was nowhere to be seen, and he wasn’t such a heavy sleeper that he wouldn’t have noticed an adult man climbing into his lap. He looked at Ryan, still sitting in his lap, hands resting on Shane’s stomach. Shane reached up to rub at his forehead, wondering what _else_ he was going to have to reconsider about his worldview.

“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” Shane quoted. Ryan tilted his head curiously, just like the puppy had. “I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong.”

Ryan’s mouth spread into a wide, bright grin. “Good on ya.”

Shane stared at the man, who stared back. His hands traced idle patterns on Shane’s stomach, and they were going to have a big problem on their hands if he didn’t move soon. He really was gorgeous, with tanned skin and bright eyes, a full mouth and collarbones Shane wanted to nibble on

“Are you going to get off me?” Shane asked finally, shifting a little.

“I’m pretty comfortable,” Ryan mused. He settled his weight a little more firmly into Shane’s lap and Shane gasped.

“D-do you normally sit in strangers laps?” Shane asked. He rocked up into Ryan’s weight and licked his lips.

“You’re not a stranger,” Ryan said. He leaned forward, his breath warm on Shane’s face. “Mia’s been talking about you for ages. I’ve been stalking your instagram account since she linked me to it.”

Shane tilted his chin, pressing his lips to Ryan’s in a hungry kiss. This was turning out to be the craziest, weirdest day of Shane’s life, but it was also _exciting_. Ryan was intoxicating. Shane nipped at Ryan’s bottom lip after the kiss ended. They breathed each other in, eyes locked. Ryan rolled his hips, pressing his erection against Shane’s.

“Should we move to the bedroom?” Shane asked, holding Ryan’s hips tight against him. Ryan groaned, head dropping to rest on Shane’s sternum. He took several deep breaths, and when he looked up, his eyes had a hint of yellow in them, and his teeth looked a little sharper than moments before.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

When Mia showed up the next day to pick up her cousin, she burst into laughter at the bite marks and scratches littering Shane’s neck and shoulders. She cooed loudly when Ryan deliberately grabbed Shane’s sweater - the same he’d slept on as a pup the day before - and pulled it on over his rumpled clothing. Shane never did get an answer about how that worked, but he had time to find out.

Shane could hear her making fun of Ryan’s limp as they left together, Shane’s lips warm from Ryan’s kisses, Ryan’s phone number lighting up Shane’s phone screen.


	4. catch me a match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shane's scrolling through Tinder when he comes across Ryan's profile. Ryan, his straight best friend, whose profile says he's into men.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one day! Oof.
> 
> Big thank you to Boot for helping me ace that ending.

Shane swiped right before he could second guess himself, hands trembling.

He’d come out to Ryan not long after they’d started going on location for Unsolved. Shane hadn’t felt right sharing rooms or beds without coming clean to Ryan about his bisexuality. Ryan had been a bit weird about touching Shane after that, but even that had eased after a time. Despite it all, their friendship never faltered for a moment.

Ryan had never mentioned his own sexuality, even after his rough breakup with Helen. A small part of Shane had hoped, secretly, that perhaps Ryan wasn’t straight, that his solid relationship with Helen meant it hadn’t a thing worth mentioning. But even after his breakup, he’d said nothing.

And now Ryan was on Tinder, with a profile that stated he was into men.

Shane dropped his phone onto the couch.

He deliberately kept his breathing deep and even. His friendship with Ryan was not so fragile that Tinder was going to be the thing that broke it. Ryan would probably laugh it off.

He _was_ a little hurt Ryan hadn’t come out to him in person, but perhaps this was his way of dipping his toe in the ‘dating men’ pond without fully committing to it. Coming out to friends could feel confining, like there was no going back. You can’t unring a bell, as the saying goes. It’s a stupid thought - Shane would never judge Ryan for experimenting.

Shane shook his head, pushing his thoughts away. There’s no point in speculating. The die had been cast, and consequences were to follow.

Shane was full of restless energy for the rest of the day, unable to focus. He switched between working on Puppet History scripts, his favorite comfort shows, and playing with Obi. His phone buzzed occasionally, but it was always social media notifications, not a text or call from Ryan.

He had just started wondering what to make for dinner when his phone buzzed again. He picked it up absently, worn out after running on hope all day, and nearly dropped it when he saw a Tinder notification. _It’s a match!_

He unlocked his phone with hands that shook once again. _Ryan Bergara liked you!_ Shane sucked in a breath through his nose and opened the app. He had one message. With his heart pounding in his chest, he clicked on the message.

_RB: Hey, big guy. Can I come over?_

  
Shane squinted at the screen. Was Ryan being flirty or just his usual self?

_SM: Of course!_

_  
RB: Be there in 15._

Shane ran a hand down his face before going back to figuring out dinner. Something simple, because his brain was in no state for anything complicated. Spaghetti, he decided, with some garlic bread. He’d made it so many times he could do it with little thought.

Ryan let himself in just as Shane was draining the noodles. Their eyes met from across the room, and Shane gave him a grin. Ryan’s smile was sheepish as he ran a hand through his hair. Ryan took a seat at Shane’s small kitchen table and watched as Shane went about finishing up dinner.

He set a plate in front of Ryan and took his own seat. Ryan picked up his fork and took a big bite. He made a pleased noise at the taste and took another forkful. Shane watched him eat with a smile, and the silence between them was comfortable. But questions were crowding Shane’s mind, so finally, he spoke, taking care to keep his voice gentle.

“How long have you been on Tinder?”

Ryan stared down at his plate. “A few months. I - I wasn’t sure where else to start.”

Shane nodded. It’s not as though Shane were known for going to gay bars or clubs. “Have you - are you…” He gestured with the hand holding his fork, uncertain how to word what he wanted to know.

Ryan took another bite of his spaghetti. “I’ve gone on a couple dates, but none of them were - it wasn’t a good fit, you know? Surprisingly, it’s hard to judge compatibility based on just a profile.”

“Don’t I know it,” Shane muttered forlornly.

Ryan looked up, his dark eyes catching and holding Shane’s. When he spoke, it was quiet, almost confessorial. “They weren’t what I wanted. _Who_ I wanted.”

Shane swallowed the food in his mouth, nearly choking on it. Hope fluttered in his chest, and he ducked his head to continue eating, smiling wide.

It took some time, but eventually he noticed that Ryan hadn’t touched his garlic bread at all. Ryan loved food and garlic bread in particular, and that he wasn’t immediately scarfing it down had red flags going up in Shane’s mind. Shane’s grip on his fork tightened.

“What’s wrong, buddy? Is the food bad?”

“What? No,” Ryan jerked his head up. “It’s fine, it’s good.”

“Then why aren’t you eating?”

“Oh, I -” Ryan bit his bottom lip. Shane waited patiently for him to continue. After a moment, he straightened his shoulders and met Shane’s gaze. “I want to - I want to kiss you, but I don’t want to have garlic breath when I do.”

“Ryan,” Shane’s gaze softened. He reached out to touch the thin, tender skin of the inside of Ryan’s wrist. “I’d like kissing you no matter what your breath was like.”

Ryan’s breathing hitched at that, and he ducked his head, a pleased smile curling the corners of his lips. He tangled his fingers with Shane’s and gave them a squeeze. “Even morning breath?”

Shane let out a small, quiet laugh. “Why don’t we find out?”

The smile that spread across Ryan’s face at the implication wasn’t shy; it was downright incendiary. Shane’s answering smile was more a bearing of his teeth than an actual smile. They stood at the same time, reaching for one another with greedy, grasping hands. They stumbled out of the kitchen and into Shane’s bedroom, the door left wide open.

It turned out Ryan’s morning breath was truly terrible, but Shane kissed him anyway, and kept kissing him through their showers, hands soapy and daring. Through breakfast, where the waffle vs pancake banter raged, Shane wheezing at Ryan’s chipmunk cheeks and food muffled comments. Shane kissed him during traffic, between out of tune radio karaoke, and into the office itself, where they used any excuse to lean against the desks and press their smiles close.

He kissed Ryan again that night, through one of the Mission Impossible movies, popcorn kernels stuck in their teeth and movie quotes mouthed against each other’s skin.

Shane kissed Ryan, and Ryan kissed back, through the selfie they took leaning against each other before deleting their Tinder accounts, through sex on the couch to celebrate, and through cleaning up the cushion stains after, laughing. Shane knew, given the chance, he would kiss Ryan through the rest of their lives.

So they did.


	5. all i dream about

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's your favorite shyan polyship? Is it steshyan? Shyanara? Mari/Shane/Ryan? Maybe you've never tried a polyship!! It's the day of polyshipping in this server!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's just not enough Shane/Ryan/Mari. I have a MIGHTY NEED.

“Is that my sweater?” Shane put his cup of coffee down on his desk and handed the drink carrier over to Ryan. It was just the three of them in the office. Shane and Ryan had some finishing touches to do, and Mari had elected to join them.

Shane tipped his head toward Mari, who was seated next to Ryan. She lounged back in her chair, stretching so Shane could get a full view of her outfit. It was definitely his well-worn sweater - it dwarfed her small frame, falling mid-thigh, and it had a familiar hole in the neckline. Her eyes gleamed at him, her lips stretched into a smug smile.

“You tell me,” she said, winking. Shane knew he had left that sweater at Ryan’s apartment a month or so ago, when he’d helped the two of them move in together. He’d been meaning to ask for it back, but it kept slipping from his mind. They didn’t make it easy - the two of them were both energetic forces to be reckoned with, and whenever Shane was invited over, it was often a whirlwind of laughter and bad jokes, Mari shaking her head fondly at the two of them.

Shane preferred that to the days when things were slow and lazy, the three of them slumped on Ryan’s couch, mindlessly watching television. He always kept to his side of the couch, pressed against the armrest, letting the other two stretch out, tangled together. Somehow, he always ended up with one of them using him as a pillow or a foot rest, breathing slow and even, comfortable in his space.

It made him want things he couldn’t have.

“Looks good on you,” Shane acknowledged with a shy grin, and Mari flashed him a pleased smile. She scooted her chair so she was sitting closer to Shane. Ryan reached out and took her hand, resting it in his lap in a loose clasp. He brushed the back of her hand with his fingers, and Shane pictured himself reaching out and resting a hand on top of theirs.

“She’d give it back,” Ryan commented, tilting his head up to look at Shane, mouth curled in what could be termed a mischievous smile, “Except, well -”

Mari shifted to pull the shirt up just high enough to reveal a strip of the bare, smooth skin of her stomach. “I’m not wearing much underneath it,” she finished, and Shane felt his face and ears burn. Jesus, was she just in his sweater and her leggings? It’d be so easy to - Shane took a deep breath and shoved the inappropriate thoughts about his best friend’s girlfriend away.

“Well as long as you’re comfortable,” he deadpanned, and took his seat. Ryan detangled his hand from Mari’s to pry her drink out of the carrier and handed it over. He took his own and sipped it, looking delighted. Mari, too, was hiding a smile in the rim of her cup, but Shane pretended not to notice.

“We got you something, big guy,” Ryan said, reaching down to open the box Shane hadn’t noticed at his feet. Mari straightened with excitement, green eyes bright. “When we were up North for vacation last week -”

“We saw it and thought of you,” Mari finished. She brushed back a lock of curls that had fallen into her face. Her eyes were soft with the sort of affection Shane felt he hadn’t earned.

Shane felt his face burn even more. He gave a small, awkward laugh. “You guys didn’t have to,” he protested, just like he always did.

“We really did,” Mari said, reaching out to rest the tips of her fingers on Shane’s forearm.

“Yeah, you never come with us when we invite you,” Ryan agreed, stretching his leg out to rest his foot against Shane’s ankle. His smile was warm and familiar. “If we weren’t so awesome, we’d think you didn’t like spending time with us.”

“Wh- that’s not it at all!” Shane protested, jerking his head up to glance between them. They were grinning at him to indicate they were joking, that they weren’t mad, but guilt bloomed throughout Shane’s chest anyway. They were so good to him, checking up on him during quarantine, inviting him out, and he kept this wall up between them. He deflated in his seat.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I’m just…”

But he didn’t know what to say. There was nothing he could say that wouldn’t give the game away.

“Hey, man, it’s okay,” Ryan said softly. He nudged the open box aside to scoot his chair closer to Shane. “We just want you to know that we’re thinking about you.”

“We’re always thinking about you,” Mari added, and her smile trembled a little. Ryan reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze, but he didn’t disagree.

“That’s sweet,” Shane forced through a tight throat. He looked at the two of them, smiling uncertainly at Shane, and he felt a rush of warmth. He’d do anything for them. They were beautiful and kind, and his feelings for them made Shane feel like he could absorb some of their light and reflect it back. Shane wanted to give them what they so freely gave him, even if just a little.

“I think about you guys, too,” he admitted, and oh, the way they brightened. Ryan’s eyes _shone_ , his smile so big it wrinkled his nose. Mari moved her hand so she was gripping Shane’s wrist, fingers warm, her skin soft. Ryan bumped Shane’s knee with his own and left it there, a warm, welcome touch. The moment stretched, the three of them connected, staring at each other. There was an odd sort of tension in the air, and Shane felt like they were on the cusp of something...

Shane felt his breath catch in his chest at their happy expressions, and his fingers twitched. He wanted to kiss Ryan’s smile. He wanted to breathe in the sweet scent of Mari’s hair.

“So...what’d you get me?” Shane asked, and the tension eased but didn’t disappear.

“See for yourself, baby,” Ryan said, and Shane didn’t flush at the nickname, he _didn’t_. Ryan nudged the box closer to Shane and he moved the flaps. He pulled out a tear-shaped piece of glass with a wooden base. The bottom of it was filled with a slowly shifting fog, and looking at it made Shane feel peaceful, somehow.

“It’s a storm glass,” Ryan explained. “It’s supposed to change depending on incoming weather. Sailors used them to forecast storms.”

“It’s beautiful,” Shane breathed, and he traced the curve of the glass with reverent fingers. “This is the greatest gift I’ve ever gotten.”

“Good,” Ryan said vehemently. When Shane looked up at him, his cheeks were a fetching pink. “I want - I want you to like it.”

“I do,” Shane hurried to reassure him, “I can’t wait to put it next to my preserved snowflake. They’ll have a place of honor in my room.” Namely the dresser on the side of the bed he laid on, so he could fall asleep looking at it. He set it carefully on his desk.

“I can’t wait to see it once you’ve set it up,” Mari commented, and her smile was flirty when Shane looked at her. He glanced at Ryan to see if he caught it, but he was grinning too, and his eyes briefly flicked down to Shane’s mouth before meeting his eyes. Shane’s heart began to pound, and he swallowed.

“Uh, sure,” He replied slowly. Was - were they -

“We should have dinner,” Mari said. “And then we can head over to your place and help set it up.”

“Does it need a lot of setup?” Shane asked, furrowing his brow. He glanced into the box but didn’t see instructions.

Ryan shrugged one shoulder. He nudged Shane’s knee with his own. “Does it matter? We want to see it in its place of honor.”

Shane smiled, a tiny, shy thing. He ducked his head. “Alright, fine.”

Mari clapped her hands with delight, and Ryan’s smile was triumphant. They shared a look, pleased with themselves. They turned to look at Shane in unison, both of them flushed with excitement.

“It’s a date, big guy,” Ryan winked.

“Uh -” Shane’s brain was grinding to a halt under their gazes. At suddenly getting everything he’d ever wanted. “A date, sure. With….all three of us.”

Mari bit her bottom lip. She removed her hand from Shane’s arm, looking hesitant. “Is that a problem? We can always work things out so -”

“No!” Shane protested immediately. He reached out and curled his fingers around hers, her slim hand dwarfed by his, and pressed a kiss to it. He rested his other hand on Ryan’s thigh and squeezed it, marveling at how firm it was. His mind was whirring with images of what was to come, both carnal and sweet. “Not if you’re serious.”

“We told you,” Ryan said calmly. He reached out and grabbed Shane by the collar and pulled him into a gentle, lingering kiss. “We’re always thinking about you.”

“Always,” Mari repeated, and her kiss was pure hunger.


	6. never doubt i love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shane and/or Ryan are royal! What time period is it? Is one of them a prince, and one of them a stablehand? A duke? Write a >1K word fanfic about it!
> 
> Prince Shane and Prince Ryan have known they were betrothed since they were children. Despite their prickly relationship, they follow through. And now it's the first night of their marriage, and they have a duty to fulfill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has shades of dub-con to it, folks.
> 
> Shane's pretty intent on consummating their marriage. Ryan says no, but he's actually very into it, and they both know Ryan could kick Shane's _ass_ if he so wanted to.
> 
> Also contains: breeding kink and dirty talk.

This was the closest Ryan had ever been to Prince Shane Madej - far closer than he told himself he ever _wanted_ to be. Something about the tall bastard had always rubbed Ryan the wrong way - his stupid brown eyes, always so calm and sleepy; his unaffected air; the way his eyes always skipped over Ryan like he wasn’t there, as unimportant as the scenery, despite the two of them being betrothed since birth.

Ryan grit his teeth and pushed against Madej’s chest, hoping he’d take the hint. He swayed only slightly, far sturdier than his lean body would suggest. It made irritation burn in Ryan’s chest.

“Give me some fucking room,” Ryan snapped, tilting his head back to peer up at his face. He scowled in response to Shane’’s smirk.

“Is that any way to speak to your husband?” Shane asked. He moved further into Ryan’s personal space, forcing Ryan to retreat until his back hit the wall behind him. Ryan grit his teeth. He was _not_ intimidated by this big asshole. Ryan had known Shane his whole life, unfortunately, and the guy was usually a sweetheart, except when it came to Ryan.

He wouldn’t hurt Ryan, but he _would_ irritate the fuck out of him.

Ryan took a deep breath, hoping it’d calm him. Instead, he got a whiff of the cologne Shane was wearing, something spicy and woodsy. He curled his hands into fists.

“We’re husbands in name only, dickwad,” Ryan spat. “You don’t like me, and I don’t like you. This is just -

“Who said I don’t like you, Bergoogoo?” Shane asked idly. He rested his arms on either side of Ryan’s head, boxing him in. Ryan could feel the warm length of his body just inches from his own and fought not to shiver in the air conditioned room.

“Don’t call me that, you _know_ I hate that!”

“Do I?” Shane asked, smiling lazily. “You never told me that.”

Ryan glared up at him. Shane had never given him the chance - too busy making witty remarks that hit too close to him, before sauntering off to charm Ryan’s parents. They were usually excellent judges of character, competent leaders in their own right, but somehow Shane had them thinking he was so _nice_. Whenever Ryan complained about him, his parents only shared knowing looks, which pissed Ryan off even more.

“Look,” Ryan said, trying so hard to be reasonable, “Lets just - get some sleep. We can figure out how we want this marriage to work tomorrow, when my feet aren’t killing me.”

Shane tutted. “And what about our duty?”

“Fuck our duty,” Ryan said immediately, carefully ignoring the bed he could see from the corner of his eye. “We can just tell them we consummated this unholy matrimony and -”

“But what if I want to?” Shane asked, eyes dark. He moved in closer, until his body was pressed against Ryan’s, until Ryan had to tilt his head way back to continue meeting his eyes. Shane reached up and pressed his hand to the base of Ryan’s throat. Ryan sucked in a noisy breath and felt arousal burn through his gut. No no no, he can’t, Shane can’t know -

“I think,” Shane commented, his breath stirring Ryan’s hair, “That you want to get bent over and claimed. Don’t you, Prince Ryan?”

“Read my lips,” Ryan said, enunciating carefully, “Touch me and I’ll wring your neck.”

“Kinky,” Shane said, and pinned Ryan’s hips to the wall with his own. Ryan gasped at the press of Shane’s hard cock against his belly. His hand startled to tremble as the arousal in his gut seemed to burn hotter, and his cock began to harden in his pants. Ryan closed his eyes and tried to breathe through it. Shane rolled his hips again, and Ryan’s hips gave an answering twitch as his body urged him to rub off against Shane, to rut until he came.

“Good boy,” Shane breathed. He moved away just far enough to get his hands between them. Ryan heard the sound of Shane’s zipper and he bit his lip. But he’d always wondered, had thought about it at night, alone in his room, so Ryan tilted his head down to look. He whimpered a little at the sight of Shane’s large, thick cock; at the plummy head and big vein that ran down the back of it. At the sight of Shane’s big hands wrapped around it, stroking slowly.

“That’s all for you, baby,” Shane rumbled. “Look what you do to me.”

Ryan reached out and rested his hands on Shane’s hips. He swallowed back the spit gathering in his mouth and widened his stance a bit to make more room for his growing erection. His thoughts were getting slow as want sank deeper into him. He’d spent so many hours hoping Shane didn’t know how much Ryan wanted him, but not even a day into his marriage and Shane was ruining it, ruining _him_.

Shane tugged on Ryan’s belt, unbuckling it deftly. He pulled it from the loops with a sharp tug and tossed it carelessly aside. When his hands began to work on the button and zipper, Ryan grasped at his hands.

“No,” he said, voice shaking with desire. “Ah! I d-don’t think -”

Shane got Ryan’s pants undone and shoved his hand inside, wrapping it around Ryan’s cock. It twitched in his grasp, and Ryan made a low noise in the back of his throat at the tight grasp, at the sight of Shane’s long fingers wrapped around his hard cock.

“You’re so hard for me, baby,” Shane murmured. “Look at you, leaking in your pants.”

He shoved Ryan’s pants down until they were around his ankles. He thumbed at the head of Ryan’s cock, smearing the precome around. Ryan thrust into his grasp, feeling too warm, overheated in his fancy suit and all the accoutrements that came with it. When Shane let him go abruptly, Ryan whined, tight and high pitched.

“Unbutton your shirt,” Shane whispered, and Ryan hesitantly obeyed. He fumbled at the buttons, watching with wide eyes as Shane unbuttoned his own. He was surprised - and a little pleased - to note that Shane’s hands weren’t steady, that he struggled with a button or two of his own. It made Ryan hotter, to know that Shane - cool, collected Shane - was just as affected by this.

Once completely unclothed, Shane grabbed Ryan by the arm and tugged him over to the bed. Ryan shook off Shane’s grasp and gave him a small glare - it'd be so easy for him to lay Shane out with a single punch, and he ought to remember that. Shane raised an eyebrow at him, and in a quick move that took Ryan off guard, he pushed him onto the bed. Ryan bounced with the force of it, limbs flailing.

“You motherfucker!” He pushed himself into a sitting position, but Shane was climbing on top of him, forcing him onto his back. He glared mulishly at Shane as he hovered over Ryan, hair falling across his forehead, eyes dark. The smell of Shane's cologne seemed stronger as he began to sweat.

“Still pretending you don’t want this?” He asked, and shook his head and tutted. Before Ryan could respond, he ducked his head and licked at Ryan’s cock, a long, wet lick that ended with Shane tonguing at the bundle of nerves just below Ryan’s cockhead. Ryan threw his head back and moaned at the ceiling, hands burying themselves in Shane’s soft hair. Shane took him into his mouth, swallowing him down hungrily. Ryan couldn’t help but thrust up into that warm heat, and Shane choked, pulling back slightly before sucking him down again.

“Oh, fuck,” Ryan whimpered, and this time when he thrust Shane was ready for him. He pulled off slowly, a sweet suction that had Ryan’s toes curling against the cool bedsheets. Shane pulled off, and when he spoke, his mouth was _right there_ , hovering mere centimeters from Ryan’s cock. It took enormous effort not to use his grip on Shane’s hair to force him down again, to finish what he started.

“Do you really want to stop?” Shane asked, eyes intent. “Say the word and I’ll back off right now.”

It was difficult to think through the fervent want of his body, the way need wiped all his thought processes out until all Ryan could think about was coming. He looked at Shane’s red, wet lips, at his messy hair. At the lean length of his body. Ryan closed his eyes and thought about the choice ahead of him, two paths that led to who-knows-where.

“Kiss me,” he demanded, and Shane surged up his body to do so. He laid claim to Ryan’s mouth, his kiss rough and almost too hard. It stole Ryan’s breath, Shane’s tongue in Ryan’s mouth, the confident way he kissed. Those deep, wet kisses that were all passion.

“Ryan,” Shane said, and his voice cracked. Ryan opened his eyes as Shane slid his hands above Ryan’s head, under the pillow. When he pulled his hand out, it was holding a little bottle of lube. Ryan huffed a small laugh - of course their people thought of everything.

Shane squeezed some onto his hand. He coated his fingers before spreading it down, over his palm, with his other hand. He shifted, and Ryan groaned at the press of his fat cock against Ryan’s, the warm, soft skin. Shane grasped both of them in one hand and began to jerk them off, grip tight and slick. Ryan moaned. He pressed his head against the bed beneath him before lifting it, keening at the sight of Shane’s big hand holding both of them, their cocks red and leaking. Some of Shane’s precome dripped onto Ryan’s cock, and he made a noise that almost hurt at the sight of it.

He looked at Shane to find him already looking at Ryan, cheeks flushed. He leaned forward to press his lips against Ryan’s jaw, muffling his words against Ryan’s skin.

“You feel so goddamn good,” he growled, “Look how beautiful you are, spread out beneath me. I can’t wait to stretch you open, sink my cock into you. Fill you up with my come. Would you like that, Ryan? Would you like me fucking you until you’re wet and loose?”

“Yes,” Ryan shouted, the word torn from his throat, “God, yes, fuck me, split me open with your cock, I want it, I’ve always wanted it -”

Shane made a noise of triumph against Ryan’s neck, where he pressed kisses between words, sucking marks as Ryan keened. His hand was still jerking them off, the grip of his hand so good, both of them leaking all over each other, all over Ryan’s belly. But Ryan’s ass felt empty, unbearably so.

“I will,” Shane rasped, “I’ll fuck you from behind, get my cock deep in you, make you feel it in your throat, see it in your belly -”

Ryan whined. He wanted that, he wanted that _so bad_ -

“Fuck you over and over until you’re full of me, get you pregnant, a royal heir, make you _mine_ ,” Shane hissed. “Want the whole world to know what you let me do to you every night. Fuck you so good you can’t get enough, until you’re begging for my cock.

Shane pulled back to meet Ryan’s eyes. Ryan was making a low, constant noise now as orgasm built fast, his balls drawing up tight, his cock throbbing in Shane’s grasp. Shane shifted so most of his weight was on his legs, freeing up the hand he’d been using to steady himself. With one hand still jerking them off - the sight of which made Ryan louder, noises forced out of him - he reached down with the other and circled Ryan’s greedy hole with his fingertip.

Shane nipped at Ryan’s bottom lip. “Come for me, baby,”and sank his finger into Ryan’s ass in one firm, steady push, curling it until it brushed that sweet spot. His rough voice, the dual touch - his hand working Ryan’s cock, his finger in Ryan’s ass - was more than enough, and Ryan came with a howl, uncaring that the guards could no doubt hear. His ass clenched down on Shane’s finger and his cock spurted as Ryan’s body went tense and he shook helplessly.

Shane groaned and his cock jerked against Ryan’s, the press of it almost too much against Ryan’s sensitive skin. Shane pressed his forehead to Ryan’s shoulder as his cock spat come all over the both of them, hot and wet. Shane shook and his hips jerked helplessly before stilling. Shane let them go and collapsed sideways.

The room was silent except for their panting breaths. Ryan stretched out his legs, stretching the muscles. He looked down at himself, at how fucking messy he was. He lifted one too-heavy hand and rubbed at the come on his body, smearing it together, mixing it up. Shane’s big hand came into view, and he did the same, until it was just a slowly drying, sticky mess.

For the first time in his life, Ryan felt content at Shane’s side. Like they were actually _on_ the same side, that he wasn’t peering at Shane through some barrier put up between them. Shane pillowed his head on Ryan’s shoulder, and it made a spark of hope light up in his chest. He wiped his sticky hand on the bed before reaching up to run it through Shane’s sweaty hair, his chest gentle.

“I wanted to marry for love,” he confessed. He thought about the way Shane was always teasing him. About the way Ryan would catch him staring, face unreadable. He thought about Shane’s laugh and his gentle hands and the way he always remembered servants names. How Ryan had wanted Shane once he’d learned what desire even was, and the way his heart beat faster when Shane smiled. “I think we could find that together.”

Shane was silent for a long moment. And then he twisted to peer up at Ryan, his face uncertain. He, too, wiped his hand on the bed before reaching up to brush his fingertips over Ryan’s cheek, down to his mouth. When he smiled, it was a fragile thing.

“I did marry for love,” he whispered, and Ryan had no response but to kiss him. Behind them, the clock struck midnight.

A new day.


End file.
